Mom, girl climb up tree to escape flood, rescued after 1 hour

Forest personnel on getting information about Papathi, who was stranded on the tree top along with her daughter, rushed to the spot and rescued them.

In another location, 22 huts in a tribal settlement were washed away in flash floods as rain continued to pound the region from Thursday night.

Caught unaware in the sudden floods in the middle of night, families in settlements fled to safety, carrying their children and valuables. A girl, however, was washed away at Nagaroothu tribal settlement near Sarkarpathy in Pollachi, sources said.

The incident happened when a team of Forest department staff, on receiving information about the flash floods in the area, rushed to the spot and rescued a family trapped in the gushing waters.

While the team managed to rescue Kunjappan (40), his wife Alagammal (35), daughter Jaya (15) and son Krishnan (6), their younger daughter Sundari was feared to have been washed away in the floods.

The Forest department is yet to locate the missing child and a search operation is under way, sources said.

Meanwhile, Kunjappan and his wife were taken to the Pollachi government hospital for treatment.

A few others who sustained injuries were also admitted to hospital. Electric posts were uprooted, causing power outage in the locality. Rescued families have been sheltered in Sarkarpathy.

Villagers complained of having lost their documents like ration card, voter ID, and valuables to the rains.

A Forest official said that huge boulders rolled into the contour canal, blocking the flow and led to flash floods.

More rains have been forecast for the next three days in the district.